A Snowflake's Tale
by PeanutButter83
Summary: Jack is getting settled into being a Guardian, but there are some surprising things his new family will have to learn first.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

One early November morning Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter, was flying over southern tip of New England bringing in a cool breeze from the north.

"Hey Wind, do you think I should give these kids an early snow day?" Jack asked mischievously with a small smirk.

Before she could reply they both saw the Aurora Borealis flood the skies.

"I guess we'll have to decide that later." Jack said before doing a quick loop in the air and they both sped off towards the North Pole.

Arriving at the Workshop Jack entered through an unlocked skylight and landed lightly on top of the Globe of Belief. He looked around spotted the rest of the Guardians chatting in front of the fireplace on couches.

"Hey guys. What's the emergency? Is Pitch back? Did the elves get a hold of sugar again? Are reindeers get lose again? " Jack asked in rapid succession, gliding down to join them.

"Ah, Jack! You are here!", North exclaimed "No it is not emergency. We just didn't know how to reach you so we activated lights."

"Oh, good. I was worried. As for reaching me, you can just call my name outside. Wind will always let me know when you give a shout." Jack replied as he greeted various yetis and elves. He snatched a cookie from a plate passing by and began to nibble the frozen treat.

"What do you mean, 'Wind will tell you', Jack?" Tooth questioned.

"Well, Wind always tells me what's going on in the world. She been my best friend, my only friend really, since I was reborn." he said casually as he observed the general chaos around the Workshop.

"Frostbite, you do know that Wind ain't alive, right?" Bunny said cautiously. A breeze started to whip up around the Guardians but no one noticed except Jack and Sandy.

Jack turned sharply towards Bunny. "What?"

"Yes, Bunny is right." North said. "Wind is just a part of nature."

"Like winter is?" Jack asked a bit amused polishing off the last crumbs of his cookie.

"Yeah mate, exactly." Bunny replied.

"Guys if winter is just another part of nature then what am I here for?" Jack questioned. They stared in silence at him before Jack noticed Sandy raising his hand. Jack nodded to him. Sandy signed somethings with his golden dreamsand that Jack understood and answered immediately.

Jack nodded, "Yeah guys, Sandy's right. I'm not winter's creator, I don't make it. I _can_ create it but really my main job is to be winter's guide and shepherd." he explained lifting his staff and wiggling it a bit for emphasis.

A look of realization came over the other three Guardians. But then North asked with a confused expression, "But who controlled winter before you were Jack Frost?"

"Well Mother Nature of course.", responded Jack while he perched on the back of the empty armchair furthest from the burning fire.

"Mother Nature? What do you mean, Jack?" Tooth inquired.

"You guys seriously don't know who Mother Nature is? She's been around since Earth was created. Well, duh."

North was the one who replied. "We know who she is but the rumors from other immortals have said that she is very cruel."

Sandy shook his head in a bewildered manner at the threesome before Jack began to speak again. "Why do you guys believe the rumors? That's all they are, rumors. True she can be a bit harsh at times but nature has to be to keep the balance. The other spirits probably said that because they met her when they wanted to complain about bad weather, which is stupid, and after severe weather is when she shows her worse side. If they met her at a different time she probably would have been nicer. Her true nature is like her title. A mother. She is a mother to all nature including me and my siblings."

"Mate, what do you mean by siblings?" Bunny asked.

"You seriously don't know what siblings are Kangaroo? Just kidding. Mine are the other Spirits of the Seasons. Lily Blossom- the Spirit of Spring, Isabella Meadow- the Spirit of Summer, and Daniel Wood- the Spirit of Autumn. They along with Mother Nature make up my family."

"But I thought we were your family Jack." said Tooth a little hurt.

Jack replied hurriedly, "You guys are! But before the Nightmare Battle, when I hadn't truly met you guys yet, they were my family."

North then realized something, "But you said that you were alone for 300 years. How could you be alone with them as your family?"

"Well, because we are elementals we can't be close to one another for long periods of time without hurting each other. So as a result we can only be together on solstices and equinoxes."

"You only talked to people _four_ days of a year for _300_ years?" exclaimed Tooth.

"Well, no. Sometimes I saw Mom for weather emergencies like in '68 and other times other immortals would cross my path. Like Sandy and occasionally the tooth fairies. And of course I always had Wind to talk to. Also I listened to a lot of people and animals so I learned to speak over a hundred languages including Sign Language once I realized Sandy didn't talk."

North, Bunny, and Tooth sat for a few moments absorbing the things they had just learned.

Then Jack, who had settled back down along with the breeze, began to speak again, "So anyways, now that that's over and done with, what did you guys what me for?"

"We are making invitations for annual Christmas party and wondered if there was anyone you would like to invite." North said.

"What, what party?" Jack questioned.

"Every year North throws a huge Christmas party and invites all of the immortals." Bunny explained.

"Wait how come I was never invited?" Jack asked somewhat hurt.

"Well we, uh. We heard rumors that you made a mess everywhere you go so..." North trailed off awkwardly.

"Oh okay. Um, random question. Do you guys ever think that rumors aren't true?" Jack asked a bit sarcastically.

"We're sorry Jack. It's just that we never had time to check up on you so we just assumed that you were a troublemaker who we needed to stay away from. From now on we'll check all rumors ourselves." assured Tooth.

"That's good because there are probably spirits like me who are alone and have been for a long time." Jack replied. "Who do you guys usually invite anyways?"

"The Groundhog..."

"Cupid..."

A sand four leaf clover.

"Spirits like that." Tooth explained.

"Do you invite elementals too?" Jack asked.

"Yes. Usually the whole Workshop is filled to the brim with immortals." North answered.

"Wait, when is this party going to be?"

"North always plans it for the 21st of December." Bunny says.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck looking a little uncomfortable, "Coincidentally that is one of the days in the next few months that I have something planned so I actually will not be able to come."

"But Jack this is your first one! You have to come. We're going to introduce you as a Guardian for the first time." Tooth exclaimed flying up to him.

Jack leaned back and said, "I'm sorry but I just can't. That's the Winter Solstice. One of the four days out of the year that I can spend with my family."

"But surely you can skip one!" North said.

"I _really_ can't." Jack said getting slightly annoyed and frustrated.

Bunny hopped over to him and, not seeing Sandy's caution sign, asked, "Well why not? Surely you can miss one stupid little meeting. After all shouldn't your Guardianship mean more to you then some meeting with a few elementals? Think about the children mate!"

Jack's expression turned thunderous, "A few elementals? Those few _elementals_ mean more to me than almost anything else in the world, _Kangaroo_. Even though we see each other rarely, I still consider them as my family much more then you will ever be to me!" he practically yelled, "And think about the children!? What about you!?"

"What about me?" Bunny screamed right back at him.

"Where were you for the children? When did you ever spend time with the children, huh? I spend as much time as I can with them! Every second that I am not doing my winter duties I'm playing with them, spending time with them. Even when they couldn't see me I tried to make sure they were having a good time. When was the last time _you _were with kids before Easter?" Jack paused and turned away, putting his hood up, "What about me?" he almost whispered, "I was a kid. I was alone for three-_hundred_ years. I had to grow up on my own! When were you guys there for me?...Never!"

And then he was gone, a faraway blur in the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Bunny!" Tooth exclaimed as they all rounded on him.

"What? How was I supposed to know that he was going to explode like that?" he replied.

Tooth, North, and Sandy rolled their eyes in unison.

"Jack has been without much companionship for a very long time. He is not comfortable with people pressuring him or talking to him at all like that, I think. We must be patient." North said.

"Okay fine. We'll all give Frostbite his space." Bunny said.

Sandy indicated that he should go apologize to Jack.

"What? I'm not apologizing to the bloody show pony. It's his fault he has sensitive feelings." Bunny stated.

"Bunny!" Tooth warned as she glared at him.

"Okay, okay I will." Bunny stuttered quickly, putting his hands up in surrender, you did _not_ want to get on Tooth's bad side. "But not now. Not because I don't want to!" he said quickly as Tooth opened her mouth. "But I think we should wait for him to come back to us before we approach him. Plus we have no idea where to find him."

"Bunny is right. While we wait you can all stay here." North said.

They all agreed and settled down to wait.

Jack flew to Antarctica in a record time of 5 minutes, all the while Wind whispered reassuring words in his ear. His cheeks were covered in silent, ice tears as he settled down on the frozen tundra. He quickly checked that no living things were nearby before he sat down and let it all out. Jack sobbed and screamed letting 300 years of hurt, frustration, loneliness, sadness, and anger out.

A blizzard soon started to form, Jack and Wind howled in unison. The storm blew on for hours, far into the night before Jack collapsed in exhaustion. Wind watched over her boy as he slept, protecting him. She sang a lullaby to keep him asleep. The invisible spirit gazed upon the sleeping boy in sadness at what he had had to go through.

At dawn, Jack awoke to find himself at the bottom of an ice ditch the size of a house he knew hadn't been there the day before. All around the ditch the land was scratched and torn up. There were many deep depressions and in some places the ice was worn all the way to the water underneath it.

"Thanks Wind. For last night and for always being there for me." Jack said.

Wind whispered your welcome and asked him what he planned to do now.

Jack frowned, "I don't know. I really messed up yesterday. I don't think that the others will want to see me ever again. I think I'll just stay away for awhile. Hide. Be invisible. It's what I do best." he said sadly.

Wind mourned for all of the years her boy had been left alone and asked what she could do to help.

"Could you make sure Bunnymund can't find me by sniffing me out? Other then that... can you just be with me?" Jack asked in a broken voice.

She assured him that she of course she can do that. Jack began to fix the surrounding land to make sure it appeared as if he had never been there. When he was done he jumped into Wind embrace and flew back to Burgess.

It had been three days since the incident and the Guardians were still at the North Pole waiting for Jack to come back. They had had many big and loud arguments about whether or not they should look for Jack. Many things had been thrown, broken, and smashed. The yetis and elves had tried to avoid the Guardians for fear of them being next.

At the end of day two they met in the dining room during lunch and were eating peacefully before out of the blue...

"Oh my goodness! This is driving me nuts! We have to go find him!" Tooth exclaimed before attempting to fly out the window. Sandy quickly cut her off.

"Sandy what are you doing?" Tooth asked startled.

Sandy talked to them for 10 minutes with much frustration before he finally got his message across: If he doesn't come back by the end of the week, we go and find him. They all agreed, if a bit hesitantly.

Five days had passed since that agreement and they were all really to go. They gathered in front of the Globe of Belief and were saying goodbye to the yetis, elves, and tooth fairies.

"We'll most likely be back within the hour but if we are not we will be back by dinner with or without Jack." North informed his workers.

"If there is any trouble I'll send Baby Tooth back." Tooth told the group of her fairies that were there to see her off. Baby Tooth had been out of her mind with worry the past few weeks and had insisted that she come along on their journey.

Bunnymund appeared out of a tunnel hole and said, "Everything's all set at the Warren."

"Same with my Palace." Tooth stated.

Sandy conjured a baseball cap and a backpack then nodded his consent that his castle was in good shape too.

"All right everyone! To the sleigh!" North said enthusiastically.

Getting in the sleigh, Bunny hesitated but eventually he hopped in. When they were all seated they took off. Once they were through the tunnel, off the ramp and in the air, North halted the sleigh in midair.

"Okay, what shall we do now?" he asked.

Tooth, the ever prepared one, said, "Well Bunny can use his nose to smell him. We can check Burgess, that's his home right? We can ask the kids if they have seen him, and we can ask other spirits if they have seen him too."

"Good ideas Tooth." Bunnymund said still a bit dizzy, "I'll start sniffing him out..." he started sniffing the air but soon stopped with a confused face, "That's weird..."

A question mark appeared above Sandy's head.

"The past year or so I've been able to smell him around the Workshop, the Warren, the Tooth Palace but a few seconds ago his scent just... disappeared." Bunny responded.

"What? How can it just... disappear? What does this mean?" Tooth asked worriedly.

"It doesn't mean he's faded if that's what you mean. When an immortal fades, it's scent usually takes a few years to die completely." Bunny replied.

"Well, let's do those other things before we jump to any conclusions." North's calming voice said. "To Burgess!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jamie saw a flash of light and turned to look at it before he was pushed into a pile of leaves from behind. He lifted his head up and turned to look behind him.

"Claude!" Jamie exclaimed. "I am _so_ going to get you!" he said before he chased after the twin, turning the chore of raking leaves into a fun activity-a leaf fight.

"Kids! Be careful!" Tooth cried out, worried.

"Tooth! Don't worry we were just having a little fun." Pippa assured her. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We are looking for Jack." North said as he came up behind Tooth.

"Yeah have you seen him?" Bunny continued.

The kids glanced at each other then had a whispered huddle before Jamie stepped forward. "Yeah we've seen him. He told us not to tell you guys but..."

"We're worried about him." Cupcake continued.

"He visits us a lot but week or so he's been different." Monty said.

"Jack still plays with us and appears to be having fun but we can tell it's just a front. He has become a lot more withdrawn lately." Caleb told the Guardians.

Sandy drew a question mark next to a map.

"His 'home' is in the woods, somewhere around the lake where he was reborn as Jack Frost." Claude said carefully.

Tooth asked confused, "What do you mean 'home'?"

"Well Jack's sort of a nomad. So he sleeps in a lot of strange places. Like trees and caves, you know? He has one tree in the forest that he deemed 'his'. Never told us where it is though so you have to find it yourself." Jamie informed them.

"If your going to find him, don't be worried if he's not there. He spends a lot of time in Antarctica, and of course he has his winter duties all around the world." Pippa said.

"You guys seem to know a lot about him. How come?" North asked.

"Jack spends a lot of time with us playing, keeping us company, and having fun. We're his friends." Jamie replied, the slightest bit defensive.

"All right mate. We're gonna go try to find him now. Be careful. Have fun. See you later." Bunny said.

They kids all said their goodbyes to the Guardians and watched as they disappeared into the trees before resuming their fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Jack..."

"Jack..."

"Jack..."

The spirit in question awoke with a start before he froze. Jack always slept in unusual places so he checked his surroundings before he moved for fear of falling out of something. It was a good thing he did too because he had been sleeping in his tree, a tall thick pine with numerous branches next to his lake. His back against the trunk, and his legs stretched out in front of him on a branch, he listened for the voices that woke him.

"Jack!..."

Jack identified the voices as the Guardians'. Also that they were close enough so that if he moved they would see him.

"Wind. Can you create a distraction so I can get away?" Jack questioned quietly.

Wind confirmed that she could do that before sneaking away. Jack peered down through the branches to see the Guardians gathered at the bottom of the pine. He accidentally knocked the tiniest bit of snow from the branch next to him. Right before it landed on the group he stopped it. The snow hovered above them dangerously for a few seconds before it dissipated. Tooth was just about to look up when a few trees away the branches rustled and snow was dislodged.

"Did you guys hear that? What was it?" North asked.

"Maybe it was Jack." Bunny answered.

"Let's go check but be careful. We don't want Jack to run away again and also I think wild animals live in these woods." Tooth said looking around cautiously.

They started to travel over there and Jack made his way up to the very top of the tree. He waited until they were far enough away before he jumped into the air and flew away.

Just as the other Guardians were moving away from the lake towards the sudden noise Sandy saw something out of the corner of his eye. A flash of something shooting into the sky. He glanced at the other Guardians and tried to get their attention but soon gave up. Sandy then shot up into the sky knowing that it would be awhile before they noticed his absence.

As soon as possible, the Sandman was going to buy a whistle... or an air horn.

Jack flew quietly and stealthily as he could as he flew out of town. As soon as he reached the town line he sped up as he headed to Antarctica. After a little while he slowed down to just enjoy the flight. But then Wind informed him that he had a shadow. He chuckled. Of course Sandy would be the one who noticed that he had tricked them.

"Let's have a little fun." Jack whispered to Wind mischievously before zooming off into a series of loops, twirls, and zig-zags covering all of Mexico. He kept checking behind him to see that Sandy was still with him. Jack was impressed that Sandy could keep up with him.

"Time to change tactics you think, Wind?" Jack inquired. When he heard her agreeing laugh he rose high up into the sky and then took one of the steepest and fastest dives he had ever taken.

Sandy floated in the air for a second, stunned, before floating down after Jack. But when he got to where he estimated Jack had landed, he wasn't there. Sandy looked around the surrounding area but saw no trace of the boy.

'Smart' he thought with a smile.

Jack watched from the roof of a nearby house barely hidden by a chimney.

"Alright let get out of here while he's distracted." Jack told Wind before jumping up into the air to fly away. But Wind held him back. Now out in the open Jack whispered furiously, "Wind, what are you doing?" while he glanced over at Sandy.

She told him that it was high time that he learned he could trust people and that the Sandman was especially trustworthy. Just then the man in question spotted the Spirit of Winter and went over to him. Sandy waved hello to Jack.

"Hey Sandy." Jack said glumly.

Sandy replied with a sand question mark asking 'What's up?' and so much more in just one sign.

Jack sighed before looking around and saying, "I'll explain everything, but not here. Follow me."

They both flew off, the South American sun setting behind them.

Back in Burgess the Guardians came out of the woods to find the kids separating for dinner.

"Hey ankle-biters! Wait up a minute!" Bunny called to them.

The kids turned around at the voice and regrouped.

"Hey guys!" Jamie said.

"Wait, where's Sandy?" Pippa asked noting the absence of their smallest member. The rest of the Guardians looked around just now noticing that the Sandman was not with them.

"Oh no, where could he have gone?" Tooth asked worriedly.

The kids shared a unnoticed knowing glance before Caleb said, "Maybe he saw something that led to where Jack was and couldn't get your attention," he paused then muttered, "again."

Claude interrupted quickly to cover up his twin, "So, uh, anyways what did you want to know?"

"Oh. Well we checked all through the forest and around the town but couldn't find him, so is there any other places you know of that we could check for Jack? Maybe we'll find Sandy if we find Jack." North inferred.

"Well the second place where we now Jack could be would be Antarctica. He goes there when he's unhappy. Other then that he could be anywhere in the world." Cupcake said.

"It has to be cold there though." Bunny said.

"Well, not really." Monty said casually.

"What do you mean? I thought Jack could only survive in cold places." North questioned.

"Jack actually can be in warmer climates, remember he _is _immortal, but only for short periods of time." Monty replied.

"If he is in hot places too long well, bad things happen." Cupcake informed the Guardians.

"Like what?" Bunny said as if he didn't really want to know the answer.

"Trust me, you _don't _want to know. If you really want to, ask Jack." Pippa said mysteriously.

"Alright. Let's call it a day. We'll check Antarctica tomorrow and maybe even have enough time to ask other immortals if we still haven't found him." Tooth told the other Guardians.

"Yes. Thank you children." North said.

"Yeah, you guys have been a big help." Bunny continued.

As the kids all ran to their homes after saying goodbye, Jamie turned around at the door and yelled, "Keep us informed!"

"We will! Don't forget to floss!" Tooth called back.

In response Jamie chuckled and said, "I won't!" and then ran into his house.

"Normally I would go to Antarctica but I know that you guys were going to check there next so I'm assuming that Tooth, Bunny, and North will be heading there." Jack called back to Sandy as they soared over the ocean.

Dolphins jump around in the waves beneath them and Jack flew down to join them laughing all the while. This act reminded Sandy of the dreamsand and how every time it was near Jack it formed dolphins playing. He added this question to the many more he was going to ask Jack once they got to their destination.

They had left South America behind and, unlike their high speed chase earlier today, they were just leisurely flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The pair traveled over Africa stopping only to say hi to some giraffes.

Then the two of them passed over the Indian Ocean and journeyed down to New Zealand.

This is where Sandy and Jack stopped, landing on a grassy hill near a cliff where the ocean lay beneath it. They sat down but before they could begin talking a group of little blue penguins came running up to them and tackled Jack sending his staff flying out of his grasp.

Sandy stared in shock as Jack started laughing. Then he realized that they were hugging him, not attacking him.

"Hey guys!" Jack greeted them as they got off him and retrieved his staff for him. His expression became a little more relaxed after he held it again and then he looked at Sandy and explained, "Oh, as the Spirit of Winter I can understand all animals related with my season and I visit a lot all around the world. These are just my friends."

Sandy smiled softly in realization and then enjoyed the beautiful nature surrounding them while Jack chatted with the penguins. After a few minutes he asked Jack if he was ready.

Jack's expression became serious, "All right. I'm ready. Let's talk." he said with a sort of mock spy attitude.

So with a group of penguins still huddled around Jack, he and the Sandman settled down to talk.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Sandy, figuring it would be easier to talk in American Sign Language, signed, 'So why did you stay away for the whole week instead of coming back to talk with us?'

Jack sighed, "I thought that you guys were mad at me. Also I needed at least a day to calm down and sort some things out."

'We weren't mad at you. In fact we were mostly mad at Bunny for yelling insults at you.' Sandy replied.

"Oh. I bet Tooth gave him an earful for that. But when did you guys start looking for me?" Jack asked with a slight chuckle.

'Only this morning. We wanted to start looking for you right away but we were sure you needed your space.'

Jack gave him a grateful smile and caught a penguin as it almost fell to its death off the cliff, "Thanks. Your right. If you guys had come after right away then you guys would be ice cubes for all eternity in Antarctica."

'Why what happened?' Sandy asked, concerned.

Jack looked embarrassed, "Oh, um, nothing of importance." he said quickly.

The wind that danced around him quickened and Sandy simply looked at him.

"Alright, fine!" he exclaimed putting his hands up in surrender, "I basically let all my bad feelings out which made a _huge_ blizzard. Usually I just bottle up all my feelings and never let them escape. But I heard you have to let them out sometime and I guess now was the time for me. It's the first time I've done that in 300 years so it destroyed most of the area."

Wind hugged him in reassurance, "Thanks Wind." Jack said thankfully. In response she ruffled his hair.

'How can you understand the wind?' Sandy inquired after observing their exchange.

"You know I don't really know the answer to that. Since I was reborn I have always been able to hear her. Even when I was human I used to lay down and listen to the wind. I guess we've just always had a special connection." he responded with a soft smile.

Sandy shifted so that he was propped up on his arms comfortably. This time he wrote out the question in dreamsand words, 'So you can only spend four days a year with your elemental family right?'

The split second after he had finished writing it Jack answered, "Yep. On the solstices and the equinoxes we gather in Mother Nature's domain and just spend the whole day together."

'Whoa! How did you learn to read so fast? I know for a fact that in colonial times not many humans had the resources to learn.' Sandy asked, taken aback be Jack's speedy answer.

"Oh I had a lot of free time when I was not taking care of winter so sometimes I sat in on school lessons. I learned a lot that way. Math, Language Arts, History, Science, and lots of other subject as well. I really liked art. Especially when they made paper snowflakes." he said with a silly smile.

'I wonder why.' Sandy wrote out with his own little sarcastic smile. 'Anyways, what happened if you met the other Spirits of the Seasons on other days?' Sandy continued writing out.

Jack observed the penguins spread out on the hills for a second in thought, "Well if it was only for a few minutes we could talk but not touch. If we spent anymore time then that with each other or we touched we could seriously start to hurt one another. Sunburns, heat stroke, fevers, frostbite, hypothermia, wind burn, thirst, stuff like that."

Sandy was a bit startled, 'I didn't know it was that serious.'

"Yeah. But that only happened a few times, thankfully." Jack replied. "What about you guys? Well, not about the injury stuff but how many times a year do you meet?"

Sandy face turned a bit sour, 'Well we are _supposed_ to meet once every month but the others often forget and I am left waiting for them at wherever we are meeting.'

Jack nodded in understanding, "That sucks. Where do you guys meet though? The Workshop has the globe and Manny can talk to you their so I would think that but..." he trailed off with a hint of bitterness about the moon.

'The North Pole is the place we usually meet at although sometimes we change it up. His is the one with the most hospitality, I guess. Meaning he has chairs that are big enough for all of us and that won't make you fall asleep.'

Jack chuckled, "Well that's defiantly a plus."

'I have another question that is not so serious.' Sandy stated, 'But when you touch the dreamsand dolphins form and when we passed by a pod you flew down to play with them. I just wondered why you liked them so much.'

"Oh, well I guess it's because of my center. You know, Fun? Dolphins are kind of the animal that your mind goes to when you think of fun. They represent fun. I play with them a lot so I supposed that's why your dreamsand reacts that way." Jack replied.

'That makes a lot of sense now that I think about it.' Sandy mused, 'Why do you call yourself The Spirit of Winter instead if a Winter Spirit like others I've met?'

Jack's voice and relaxed expression turned the slightest bit hard, "That is because although there are many Winter Spirits and sprites, I am _the_ Spirit of Winter. They all answer to me because they only oversees small parts of the season. A pond, or a forest, things like that."

Sandy nodded in thought, 'The other seasons are like that too?'

Jack nodded.

Out of the blue, Sandy asked, 'Why don't you wear any shoes?'

"I've tried wearing shoes but whenever I do it just feels wrong. It almost feels as if they cut off my connection with nature. I like to feel the ground beneath me. Like when I wiggle my toes into snow, grass, or sand.

'So no elemental wear shoes.' Sandy concluded.

"Actually I have seen some of them wearing sandals, slippers, and sometimes even thin boots. But they are all usually as thin as possible." Jack replied.

Then Jack brightened, "Hey Sandy, I was wondering something. I've seen the Workshop, the Tooth Palace, and the Warren but I've never seen your Castle, only heard about it. I was wondering if I could stop by sometime and have a quick look around?" he asked hesitantly.

Sandy clapped his hands excitedly, 'How about right now?'

"Really?!"

Sandy nodded and then watched as Jack did a loop in the air whooping with joy. Wind also blew around them in an excited manner. Sandy got up to hover in the air and wait as the boy bid farewell to his penguin friends. Then the threesome soared off the cliff and head east once again.

Back at the North Pole, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny were looking unusually somber. They had entered the Workshop to hopeful faces only to watch them fall as the Yetis, Elves, Fairies, and Eggs all realized that they had not only failed to find their youngest member but had also lost their eldest.

Sure the Winter Spirit could be a handful at times in the Workshop but he always made up for it and even helped test some of the toys out for the Yetis. After all he was still a child at heart and they all cared for him.

The Elves were usually seen as not too bright, annoying, and troublesome but they knew that something sad was going on and that it had something to do with their favorite playmate.

All the Fairies were concerned and many of them had started looking right away despite their queen's orders. Baby Tooth was especially worried, none of her sisters could find Jack and now even the Guardians were stumped.

Eggs both big and small were somber and even though they were often the target of the boy's pranks, they still missed him greatly.

Overall the mood at the North Pole was very gloomy that night. The shadowy hallways, and deep, unforgiving silence, of course, didn't help.

Although the Guardians were tired, and discouraged they kept making a plan of action.

They decided that they would get up extra early to start asking around the world for any news about Jack.

North would ask the Leprechaun.

Tooth would ask Cupid.

And Bunny would ask the Groundhog.

After a meal of the Guardians picking at their food they all retired to their farmiliar places around the fire. The three of them all thought about what they were going to say tomorrow as they sat around the fire.

But mostly...they only thought about Jack.


End file.
